Here's Your Letter
by Jackio
Summary: Life is never peaceful at the Mercer household, especially after a little girl with a condition comes to stay with them. I suck at summaries, better than it sounds, please R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with Four Brothers, but I own any characters that you do not recognize

Here's Your Letter

Chapter One

The girl's fingers were tracing the window as she whistled softly to herself. She winced as the bruise on her cheek hurt from the effort, and her free hand immediately flew up to it. Careful not to rub off any of the makeup covering it, she careful ran her hands over it, wishing the pain would just disappear. It would take a while though, and she was glad that a girl at the group home had shown her how to cover it with makeup so no one would notice it. She hated it when people gave her those looks as soon as they saw it, she'd been through worse, she didn't need their pity.

Beside her, her brother had his hands in his lap, staring intently at his feet. He was leaning forward, with his back away from the seat. The girl knew that it was because of the bruise on his back, it still hurt him to lean against anything. He was lucky; a bruise on the back was easier to hide than a bruise on the face.

"Camela stop it, you know I hate it when you whistle!" Tobias Little, their social worker, said from the front seat. The girl stopped immediately, as if she'd been electrocuted. Tobias sighed and turned his attention back to the road. He'd given up on trying to have a conversation with the siblings years ago.

"Freddy, not Camela, Freddy!" The boy said, his voice rough. Tobias sighed again and looked at the boy in his rearview mirror. No one would ever know that they were siblings just by looking at them. Freddy had shoulder-length blonde hair hidden by a blue Toronto Maple Leafs baseball cap. Her eyes were a deep green, and they were sad, as if they'd seen too much. She was wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey and ripped blue jeans. The boy, on the other hand, had thick, unruly red hair and dark brown eyes that were angry. He wore a black Greenday sweater and faded black jeans. Nothing about their appearances suggested that they were brother and sister.

"Jasper, please, please do not introduce your sister as Freddy, her name is Camela, not Freddy!" Tobias insisted. Jasper didn't say anything; he just looked over at Freddy. She didn't seem to have heard their conversation; she was still tracing the window with her fingers, humming now.

"Camela, for heaven's sake can you stop? I've never heard you talk but you whistle and hum all the goddamn time!" Tobias said angrily. Again, as if she'd been electrocuted, Freddy stopped immediately, looking at Tobias fearfully, as if he'd just hit her.

"Goddamnit Camela, don't look at me that way, I didn't do anything to you!" Tobias said. Freddy stared at him for a second longer and then she looked away. Jasper nudged her leg gently with his foot, but Freddy ignored him. Jasper gave her a disapproving look, but didn't say anything. Instead, he looked out the window, wondering if they were getting closer to their new "home" if you could call it that. It was more of a temporary residence, like all the other places. Sure, Tobias probably intended it to be permanent, but like that was ever going to happen. Who was going to want two siblings with more emotional baggage than a ward of psychiatric patients? Jasper had heard one woman in one of their early foster homes say that.

_And it's true, you know it is._ Jasper thought to himself bitterly. He had anger issues, or at least that's what Tobias said. Jasper had always just thought of it as being protective of his sister, not anger issues. But, like everyone said, Tobias was the adult, and Jasper was just the fuck-up.

And he couldn't help it if he got into a lot of fights; it wasn't his fault that everyone seemed to take an interest in Freddy. It wasn't Freddy's fault either, she didn't ask to be pretty, she just was. It was Jasper's duty to protect her from all the creeps in the foster homes, if he failed, well, Jasper didn't want that to happen again.

And of course, Freddy couldn't help the way she was, off in her own world most of the time. She had a condition; at least, that's what Tobias called it. Jasper couldn't remember the name of it, he just knew that Freddy had been like this forever. Ever since she was a baby, but she had gotten a lot better for a while, until their parents died. Then she disappeared back into her shell and refused to come out. It scared and interested people at the same time. Many people were convinced that they could "save" her. Jasper knew that they were just being foolish. Freddy would come out when she wanted to, not when someone forced her to.

"We're almost there, now remember, I want you two on your best behavior! Jasper, that means no fighting! And Camela, just, try to act normal, okay?" Tobias said, glancing back at the siblings in his mirror. Jasper nodded grudgingly, but Freddy didn't acknowledge that she'd heard what he'd said. Sighing in exasperation, Tobias parked the car in front of one of the many houses on the street. Immediately, Jasper sat up a little straighter, putting on a brave face. Freddy acted like she hadn't noticed that the car had stopped.

"Come on, let's go." Tobias said, getting out of the car. Jasper hesitated, but he quickly followed his social worker. He was nervous, but the sooner he got in there, the sooner the old lady would be calling Tobias to come pick them up and the less pain they'd have to endure.

"Come on Freddy, we're here." Jasper said patiently, motioning for his sister to follow him. It took a while, but finally he got Freddy to acknowledge the fact that he was talking to her, and got her to get out of the car. Tobias was looking at his watch impatiently.

"Come on you two, we're already late!" He said irritably. Jasper just nodded and grabbed for his sister's hand. For a second, Freddy stared at him as if she didn't recognize him, but the moment quickly passed. Nervously, she started whistling again.

"Camela, stop it!" Tobias said sharply. Freddy fell silent and Jasper glared at Tobias as the social worker led them up the walkway. Walking slowly, the siblings followed him, but Tobias still ended up waiting at the door for them.

"You guys, don't be like this, this isn't the first time you've met a new family. Besides, this woman is a saint, you couldn't have asked for a better place." Tobias said sternly. Jasper ignored him, trying to remember what he'd been told about the old lady.

Her name was Evelyn Mercer or something like that. Apparently she made a habit of taking in foster kids and trying to find them permanent homes. She was supposed to be really good at it too; Jasper knew that Tobias was hoping the lady would find him and Freddy a permanent home.

_Fat chance._ Jasper thought. He and Freddy were different from all the other kids, he'd heard many people say that. What could be so special about this lady that everyone expected her to be able to "change" him and Freddy? Many people had tried, and they had all failed, so what was different about this one?

"Now don't be scared, everything will be all right." Tobias said, ringing the doorbell. Jasper resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Tobias said that at every single foster home they'd gone too, and he was wrong every time. There was no doubt in Jasper's mind that he would wrong this time too.

-------

"Oh, that must be them! Jack, do you mind getting the door while I go wash my hands?" Evelyn said, wiping her hands on a towel. Hesitantly, Jack nodded and walked towards the front door. The last thing he wanted to do was be the first to meet the new kids, but he couldn't say no to Evelyn. Besides, if these two kids were going to be his new siblings, he might as well meet them and get it over and done with.

Jack swung open the door and was surprised to see Tobias Little standing there. He'd meet Tobias a few other times, because of other kids. Those kids had come and gone quickly though, and there hadn't been nearly this much excitement about them.

"Jack, it's been a while." Tobias said, flashing Jack a grin. Jack just nodded and stood back to let them in. Then he took a good look at the two kids. Apparently, they were supposed to be siblings, but Jack didn't see how. They didn't look a thing alike. The boy, Jasper or something like that, looked angry, and he was holding his sister's hand. The girl, Carmella or something, was staring above their heads, at the ceiling. Jack looked up, expecting to see a spider or something. There was nothing there though.

"Jack, this is Jasper and Camela, kids, this is Jack." Tobias said. Camela, at least Jack had been close.

"Nice to meet you." Jack muttered. Jasper stared at him for a few seconds and then looked away, not bothering to say anything. Freddy was still staring at the ceiling with interest.

"Tobias, it's so nice to see you again!" Evelyn said, coming out of the kitchen. Jack couldn't help it, he smiled. He'd been a Mercer for three years now, and he was certain that Evelyn was the nicest person in the world. It wouldn't take too long for the new kids to figure that out.

"Evelyn, it's been too long!" Tobias said happily. He and Evelyn embraced, and Jack took the chance to glance at the new kids. Jasper was staring at Evelyn with a look that Jack was sure was surprise. He probably hadn't expected Evelyn to look like a grandmother. Freddy had stopped looking at the ceiling and was now staring intently at the wall, as if she were the only person in the room.

"Evelyn, this is Jasper and Camela." Tobias said, motioning towards the siblings. Evelyn smiled warmly at them, but didn't extend her hand so that they could shake it. Jack knew it was because many kids didn't like being touched.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." She said softly. Jasper shook his head and looked at Tobias for reassurance, as if he couldn't believe that this was the woman who was going to take care of them. Tobias gave him a disapproving look.

"We can have proper introductions later, for now, Jack, why don't you show them their rooms and introduce them to Jeremiah and Angel?" Evelyn suggested. Jack nodded and started towards the stairs. He glanced back to make sure Jasper and Freddy where following. They were, and none of them spoke as Jack led the way upstairs.

**Author's Note: So that's it, there's the first chapter of my story with an idea that's been used over and over. I know, I should really be more creative, but I can't help it, this idea just came to me and it stuck, it just would not leave me alone. So I really hope that you guys like this. Also, I have a question, assuming that someone is actually going to read this, who's older, Jerry or Angel? I keep getting different answers.**


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Your Letter

Chapter Two

Jerry and Angel were in Angel's room, listening to some music and just chilling out. Jack led Jasper and Freddy into the room and quickly introduced his older brothers. Jerry was the first one to greet the new kids.

"Hey, nice to meet you, what's your name?" He said, jumping to his feet. Jasper took a step back, as if he were seizing Jerry up. Finally he seemed satisfied and answered.

"I'm Jasper and she's Freddy." Jasper said, nodding towards his sister. Jack and Jerry had enough sense not to burst out laughing at her name, but apparently Angel didn't. Jasper glared at him until Angel finally calmed down.

"Freddy is a guy's name, and she is defiantly a girl!" He said, chuckling to himself. Jasper went to walk forward, obviously keen on giving Angel a thrashing, but when Freddy's hand gripped his a little harder he stopped. Even though she was staring above their heads like she was the only one who existed, it was obvious that she actually was paying attention.

"Do not make fun of her!" Jasper said in a low, threatening voice. Angel didn't say anything until both Jerry and Jack gave him a look.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I won't do it again." Angel muttered, deciding that it was easier for now to just give in. Jasper didn't look convinced, but he nodded grudgingly, letting Angel off the hook for now. There was a long awkward silence, Angel glaring at Jasper, Jasper glaring at Angel, Jerry and Jack both looking at the door uncomfortably, and Freddy still staring above their heads.

"Well, let's go see your rooms." Jerry said finally. Jasper nodded, not taking his eyes off of Angel. He followed Jerry as Jerry left the room, still holding onto Freddy's hand to make sure she followed.

"This is Freddy's room." Jerry said, clearly uncomfortable about calling a girl by a guy's name. Jasper nodded and tried to lead Freddy forward into the room. For a second, Freddy looked lost, and struggled to get away from Jasper, as if she couldn't remember who he was.

"Freddy relax, it's just me, Jasper, you know me!" Jasper said softly, still holding his sister's hand. Immediately Freddy calmed down but she had a confused look on her face, as if she were saying, "Of course I know who you are, why wouldn't I?" Jerry, Jack and Angel all exchanged puzzled looks.

"Come on, once she puts her bag down, we'll go show you your room. It's downstairs." Angel said. Jasper froze and stiffened up, looking at them fearfully.

"Downstairs, why so far away, why can't it be up here?" He asked worriedly. Angel didn't know what to say, but Jerry was prepared for this. Evelyn had warned him that Jasper might not like the sleeping arrangements.

"These are the only two free rooms, all the others are taken. Don't worry; she'll be safe up here." He said. Jasper looked like he might argue but stopped when Freddy looked at him. It was the first time that Jack had seen her look directly at someone.

"Okay, fine, show me this room." Jasper said finally, sounding resigned. Jack got the feeling that some kind of silent conversation had just happened between the new kids.

"Okay come on, it's this way." Jerry said eagerly, leading the way downstairs. Jack could hear Evelyn in the kitchen again, which indicated that Tobias was gone. He glanced back to see how the new kids were going to react but they didn't seem to care. Jasper had a hard, angry look on his face and Freddy looked like she was in her own world again. Jack sighed softly and shook his head. These two were defiantly going to make the Mercer household interesting.

"Here's your room. You're going to have the entire basement to yourself, lucky you!" Jerry said as he led them all down into the basement. Jasper had a look of awe on his face as he dropped his bag on the bed. His room, one that he didn't have to share. Sure it was far away from Freddy, but still, it was a room that belonged to only him.

"Are you sure it's mine?" He asked suddenly, sure this was just some joke. Angel burst out laughing at the question.

"Of course it's yours, haven't you ever had your own room before?" He teased. Jerry groaned and looked away, knowing that Jasper was going to get mad. He was right.

"Yeah I did once, before my parents died! You know, I had an older brother who died too, you want to talk about that?" He asked angrily. Angel was taken back. He looked at his brothers for support, but they were looking everywhere but at him, acting like they were Freddy and oblivious to everything around them.

"Uh, no, that's all right." Angel stuttered finally. Jasper smiled but it wasn't a real smile. It looked as though he had practiced it a thousand times before in a mirror.

"That's what I thought." He said. An uncomfortable silence fell over them as no one knew what to say. Jerry was used to new kids being difficult, but this kid was just looking for trouble. And his sister, well she just came off as a total freak.

And as if to prove it, Freddy started whistling. Jack recognized it as the tune to Basket Case by Greenday. Jasper immediately let go of her hand and pushed her away, as if she were suddenly a stranger or something.

"Stop it Freddy, stop it!" He cried angrily, blushing as though his sister embarrassed him. Freddy ignored him, but did give him a pointed look. Jasper looked horrified and he turned away from her, as if that could make her stop. It didn't though, and Jack felt like laughing. He'd just been wondering if the girl was crazy, and it was as if she had read his mind. Angel couldn't believe that Jasper had pushed Freddy away, she was his sister after all!

"Well, we better go back upstairs so Ma can get a good look at you two." Jerry said, clearing his throat awkwardly. Jasper nodded, still refusing to look at Freddy. Freddy finished the song and shot Jack a knowing look. Confused, he just shook his head and started walking upstairs, everyone following him.

Dinner was almost ready, so Jack and Angel got busy setting the table and Jerry took over cooking while Evelyn could talk to Jasper and Freddy.

"Did you guys like your rooms? If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask, if the boys don't know where it is, I defiantly will." Evelyn said. Jasper nodded but didn't say anything. Freddy was standing next to him, her gaze fixed above Evelyn's head. Evelyn didn't seem to mind, which Jack found strange. Evelyn always liked for people to look at her when she spoke to them.

"Jasper, I want you to understand that you're safe here, nothing bad will happen to you or your sister, I promise you. I know you've probably heard this before but I mean it, I will not let anything bad happen to you." Evelyn said. Jasper continued to stare at her, but he found it hard to keep his face emotionless. He'd grown good at it, but there was just something about this lady that made it difficult.

"Camela that goes for you too, you are safe here." Evelyn said, turning to look at Freddy. The girl didn't even blink.

"Freddy, call her Freddy." Jasper insisted softly. Evelyn was a little bit surprised at the strange nickname, but she quickly nodded.

"Okay, Freddy it is. Come on, dinner is ready, you guys must be starving." Evelyn said. Jasper stared at her in surprise and glanced quickly at Freddy. She didn't look at him but she did give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

-------

"Do you ever talk?" Jerry asked Freddy as they were eating dinner. Freddy had seemed to listen to the conversation, but she hadn't bother contributing to it. In fact, she didn't even act as if she had heard Jerry.

"She doesn't talk." Jasper said simply, moving his potatoes around his plate. Jerry, Angel and Jack all looked at Evelyn expectantly.

"And she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Evelyn said. Jack was confused, had Evelyn fallen and hit her head or something? Since when was it okay for someone to just not talk? Jack's head was starting to hurt from being so confused.

"Is she mute?" Angel asked. Jack kicked him under the table and Angel cursed softly under his breath. Evelyn answered before Jasper could.

"Angel watch your mouth, and no, she isn't mute. She can talk when she wants to." She said, looking at Jasper, who was nodding in agreement. Freddy was staring at the light on the ceiling, but Jack thought that she looked a little bit uncomfortable. He hated it when people talked about him as if he wasn't there too.

"So what is everyone planning to do after dinner?" Evelyn asked a few minutes later. Jasper stiffened up, as if he hadn't expected for dinner to ever end.

"I was hoping to go call Camille." Jerry said, looking at the phone eagerly. Evelyn laughed and nodded, turning her gaze to Angel.

"I was just planning on watching some TV tonight." He said. Evelyn nodded and looked at Jack.

"I was just going to go for a walk." Jack said, sounding as though he was asking for permission. Evelyn looked delighted.

"That's a great idea! Jasper, Freddy, do you want to go with him?" She asked. Jasper immediately shook his head no. Freddy, on the other hand, looked away from the light and looked directly at Jack, as if she were studying him. It made Jack feel uncomfortable, but he forced himself not to look away. Finally, Freddy looked at Evelyn and nodded.

"You do? Well that's great; Jack can show you the neighborhood!" Evelyn said. Everyone was surprised, including Jasper. In fact, Jasper looked betrayed over the fact that Freddy had decided to join them in the real world.

"I'll come too then!" Jasper said quickly. Evelyn started to say something, but she stopped when Freddy sighed angrily. Everyone was surprised when she took a pen and pad of paper out of her pocket. Looking angry, she quickly scribbled something down and handed the notepad to Jasper. Jasper read it, his face getting sadder and sadder as he did. Finally, he put the pad of paper on the table in front of him.

"I'll stay here." He said sadly. Leaning forward slightly, Jack was able to read what was written on the notepad, even though it was upside down to him. It said, _I'm not the one who needs protection, you are._ Whatever that was supposed to mean.

**Author's Note: Here's an update pretty quick, so I really hope you guys actually like this story. And Freddy's "condition" is actually real, I don't know if it's considered a disorder or not, but it's not just something I made up. Thanks for the reviews, one technically two!**


	3. Chapter 3

Here's Your Letter

Chapter Three

Jack offered to help Evelyn with the dishes once dinner was finished but she chased him away. Jack knew that she was glad that Freddy had communicated with them. Jasper clearly wasn't happy about it though. He'd had that angry look on his face throughout the rest of dinner while Freddy resumed looking at the ceiling. Now, Jasper was in the living room, watching TV with Angel. Both of them looked uncomfortable, and occasionally they would glare at each other.

"Go on, have fun, but you be careful with her!" Evelyn said as Jack started to leave the kitchen. Jack grinned at her.

"I will be, don't worry!" He said. "I won't let her fall down into the sewer or anything!" He teased. Evelyn shook her head but Jack could see that she was smiling.

"Go on you little imp." She said, shooing him away with her hand. Jack grinned again and left. Freddy was sitting on the staircase, totally entranced by her hand. Slightly freaked out, Jack tried to smile at her, but he knew that it must have looked funny. Freddy didn't seem to notice, she didn't even look at him when he stopped beside her.

"Come on, let's go." He said, trying to sound cheerful. It took several seconds, but finally Freddy looked up at him. Well, not at him exactly, her gaze rested on the wall beyond his head.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked when Freddy didn't do anything. Slowly she nodded and got to her feet. Jack opened the door for Freddy, and then he felt Jasper glaring at him as he followed her outside. It wasn't Jack's fault; it wasn't like he wanted her to come with him. He'd been looking forward to just thinking, maybe having a smoke. Now he'd have to walk with this freak who didn't even talk.

Freddy stopped once they reached the sidewalk and waited for Jack to lead the way. He turned right, quickening his pace a bit. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was trying to get Freddy to go back home. Maybe if he walked too fast she'd give up and leave.

That wasn't the case though. The quicker Jack walked, the quicker Freddy walked. If he slowed down she slowed down. She stayed right beside him, matching his every stride. Finally, Jack burst out laughing. Freddy jumped and stared at him as if he were insane.

"You are an interesting one!" Jack said, smiling. Freddy looked confused for a second, and then tilted her head so that she was staring up at the clouds. Jack followed her gaze, but he quickly looked away, finding it hard to walk and look up at the same time.

"So, do you like hockey? If you do, Bobby will like you for sure." Jack said after a while. Again, Freddy jumped as if she hadn't realized that he was there. She didn't look at him though, so Jack was pretty sure she wasn't going to answer him. He was surprised when she did.

Freddy nodded and pointed at her hat and then down at her jersey. Jack took time to study the jersey. It was big, way too big for her. It came down to her knees and you couldn't even see her hands. It looked old but well taken care of.

"Toronto is your team? The Red Wings are ours, big surprise huh?" Jack said. Freddy made a face, clearly disgusted at the thought of liking the Red Wings. Jack laughed.

"Don't like them? Well I'm not going to lie, the Maple Leafs aren't exactly our favorite team." He said. Freddy made another face and pulled out her notepad. Jack was surprised; he hadn't expected this at all. The kid had barely made eye contact throughout dinner and now she was practically having a conversation with him!

Freddy wrote quickly and then handed it to Jack. It took him a second to decipher the writing. It said, _That's gross, I don't know how you can even say that!_ Jack laughed again, at least she was communicating with him.

"Come on, don't be mean, we're in Detroit after all, so of course the Red Wings are going to be my favorite team!" He said. Freddy shook her head and took back her notepad. She wrote down another sentence and handed it back to him.

_I was born in Detroit and I don't like the Red Wings._ Jack took a second to think through his answer. He'd learned that most new kids don't talk about their past easily, so he'd have to be carefully about what he said next.

"Well I guess there's always an exception." He said. Freddy frowned and wrote down another sentence. _I've never lived in Toronto, I lived near Winnipeg, but not Toronto._ Again, Jack had to think his answer through. He was glad that Freddy was communicating, but he didn't want to screw it up.

"What's your reason for liking them then?" He asked, figuring it was a safe question. Apparently it wasn't, because Freddy just took the notepad from him and stared at the clouds again.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them again as Jack tried to think of what to say. It was hard, he didn't know what Freddy would respond to or not, and he didn't want to ask her a question and then have no response. It made him feel like an idiot when she didn't answer. And right now it didn't look like Freddy would answer anyway. She was humming and still staring up at the clouds. It couldn't hurt to try to get another conversation going though.

Jack was so preoccupied trying to think of what to say that he stepped out onto the street without looking for traffic. In a second he felt someone grab him and pull him back onto the sidewalk as a sleek red sports car zoomed past him, right where he'd been standing. Jack only realized that it was Freddy who had pulled him back when she let go of him quickly, jumping back as if it burned her to touch him.

"Y-you saved my life!" Jack said, scared by the close call. Freddy shrugged and turned her gaze back up to the clouds. Jack wasn't going to let her off that easy though, she'd just proved something very important to him.

"Thank you, if you hadn't seen that car, I'd be a pancake right now." He said. He knew it was a lame attempt at a joke but he was still trying to calm down. Freddy just shrugged again. Jack started to say something but then he stopped. It was obvious that Freddy wasn't going to say anything.

They walked around for a while more, and Jack tried to get a conversation going but he was unsuccessful. Finally he gave up and lit up a smoke. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Freddy staring at him.

"Want to try?" He asked, holding out the smoke towards her. Freddy made a face and shook her head, taking a step away from him. Jack grinned and switched the smoke over to his over hand.

"That's good cause' I wouldn't have let you anyway." He said. Freddy made another face and took out her notepad. She scribbled down something quickly and handed it to him. It said, _You say that cause' I'm a girl, if I was a boy you'd let me._

"You're probably right." Jack admitted. Freddy didn't smile but she had a triumphant sort of look in her eyes.

"And on that note, if you ever start smoking I'll kill you!" Jack said. Freddy stared at him fearfully, and Jack immediately regretted saying it. He'd forgotten hat he couldn't say things like that to her yet.

"It's a joke, I'm just joking, I'd never hurt you!" He said. Freddy stared at him for a few seconds longer, studying him. Finally, she looked away, an unconvinced look on her face.

"It's true I won't. And I know you've heard that hundreds of times before but I was in the foster care system before Evelyn adopted me, we all were. But believe me when I say that Ma is the best woman in the world." Jack said. He sighed as Freddy started humming, seemingly not paying attention.

-------

"She pays attention." Jack announced from Evelyn's bedroom doorway. Evelyn glanced up from her book, slightly surprised to see him standing there. She hadn't heard him and Freddy come back in.

"What?" She asked politely. Jack walked over from the door and sat carefully on the edge of Evelyn's bed. He and Freddy had been back for a little over an hour, and they'd just watched TV with Angel and Jasper. Jasper glared at Jack the whole time, so he'd come up here to get away from the annoying kid. Also, he wanted to tell Evelyn about Freddy pulling him back onto the sidewalk.

"I think she pretends to be off in her own little world but she really is paying attention." Jack said, tracing the design on the comforter with his finger. Evelyn couldn't help but smile. Three years ago Jack would never have come in here to talk to her. But lately, it had seemed to turn into a weekly ritual.

"Why do you say that?" Evelyn asked. Jack sighed softly and thought his answer over in his head.

"She was staring up at the clouds, ignoring everything around us, and I was trying to think of what to say to her. I wasn't paying attention and I stepped off the sidewalk onto the road without looking. A car was coming but I didn't see it. She did though and she pulled me back onto the sidewalk." He said. Evelyn was silent, thinking. Finally, she smiled and beckoned for Jack to come closer to her. He crawled over to her and she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Thank-god she was paying attention or else this night would have been a lot more eventful." Evelyn muttered. Jack nodded, hugging her back. He knew that if Angel or Jerry or especially Bobby saw him, they'd all tease him. He also knew that they all hugged Evelyn too though, even if they denied it.

"And you are half right Jackie." Evelyn said. Jack stared up at her in surprise. How could he be half right? She was either in her own world or she wasn't, there wasn't a halfway point!

"What do you mean?" He asked. Evelyn sighed and was silent again, thinking. Finally she spoke, choosing her words carefully.

"I will tell you Jack, I promise I will. But right now isn't the time for it. Just, be patient with her, really patient. Don't get angry when she seems to be ignoring you." She said.

"Don't worry Ma, you know I won't get angry at her, not when I was like that when I first came to you." Jack said with a smile. It was true, when he'd first arrived at the house, he'd ignored people a lot. It had just seemed easier at the time.

"I'm going to trust you on that. And make sure your brothers remember, they might forget and…" Evelyn said, letting her voice trail off. Jack was pretty sure he knew what she meant, if they forgot and got mad at her, it could be a major setback.

"I will don't worry." Jack said, flashing her another smile. Evelyn smiled and kissed her son's forehead.

"I knew I could count on you!" She said. Jack kissed her cheek and left her room, thinking about playing his guitar. He was just walking past the stairs when he noticed Freddy sitting on them. Luckily she was sitting at the bottom of them where she couldn't have heard his and Evelyn's conversation over the blare of the Television.

"Freddy? Are you okay?" He asked, walking down the stairs towards her. Freddy jumped to her feet, looking around as if she expected someone to jump her. Finally she relaxed enough to hand Jack her notepad. It said, _Please don't tell Jasper, please!_ Jack looked up at her once he read it. There was a pleading look in her eyes.

"Okay, I won't, I promise." He said, wondering why in the world Freddy wouldn't want her brother to know that she had saved him. Why would that make Jasper mad? Was he really that mad at Jack that he'd be mad at his sister for saving him? If so, then that kid had more problems than Jack expected.

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, five for the second chapter, thanks, I'm encouraged to write more now. I'll probably be able to update pretty regularly, I've already written up to chapter five for this story. And I can't tell you what the disorder is yet, it will come up soon, I'm actually pretty curious to see how many of you have figured out what it is. **


	4. Chapter 4

Here's Your Letter

Chapter Four

Later that night Jasper lay in bed, unable to sleep. He hated the first night in a new place; he was never able to sleep. He always found himself worrying what tomorrow had in store. From his experience, Jasper had learned that the second day was always worse than the first. On the first day everyone was trying to make good impressions. By the second day they were pretty much through with good impressions and their true colours slowly started to show.

Sighing Jasper sat up, pulling his knees up to his chin. He was cold and he wished that Freddy were with him. He hated the thought of her being upstairs, surrounded by Evelyn and her sons. Freddy had told him not to worry about it she would lock her door. Jasper still wasn't sure about it though; maybe one of the boys had a key, what then? It's not like Freddy would scream or call for help!

Shivering slightly Jasper pulled the blanket over his head, so it was covering him as if he were inside a tent. When they were younger, before their parents had died, Freddy and Jasper had done that all the time, usually during thunderstorms. They did it only occasionally after they were put into foster care, when things got too bad to handle.

With another sigh Jasper tossed the blanket off of him and onto the floor. Frustration welled up inside of him at the thought of him being all alone down in the basement. He felt like some kind of monster that Evelyn wanted to keep hidden. It was as though she was trying to make Freddy apart of her screwed up family and trying to push Jasper away.

Jasper refused to let her do that though, he'd stay with Freddy all the time. That way, none of Evelyn's sons could get to her and try to convince her to join their "family." It looked like they'd already started though; Freddy had never told him to leave her alone before. And what was with her going for a walk with that Jack kid? She looked pretty happy when she came back.

Jasper didn't want to admit it but he was jealous over the fact that Freddy had gone for a walk with Jack. She'd never done that before, ditch Jasper to go with someone else, especially not another fucked up kid. Freddy had always stayed away from them, preferring not to get involved in anyone else's problems. So why now, and why Jack? Jasper asked himself angrily. He could feel the anger welling up inside of him, threatening to burst.

Getting out of bed Jasper walked over to his bag, lying near the bedroom door. Kneeling down in front of it, Jasper desperately searched through its many pockets. Finally he found what he was looking for. Trying to be quiet, even though he knew that no one could hear him, Jasper slowly twisted the cap off of the bottle and dumped two pills out onto his hand. He put them in his mouth and swallowed, having long ago perfected the art of swallowing pills without water.

Feeling satisfied, Jasper crawled back into bed after making sure that the pills were hidden in his bag. A kid at the group home had given Jasper the bottle when Jasper couldn't sleep. Now, whenever Jasper had trouble sleeping, he just took a few pills and within the hour he was sound asleep.

Jasper didn't consider it to be an addiction, he didn't take them everyday, he didn't even crave them. He just used them when he needed some help falling asleep. Freddy didn't approve of them, but then again, she did things that Jasper didn't approve of either.

Smiling that fake smile of his, Jasper closed his eyes and felt himself slip off into a comfortable, numb sleep.

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Freddy found it more difficult to sleep. She didn't have any pills to take, and even if she did, she wouldn't take them. She'd seen what the pills did to kids at the group home. Jasper had assured her that he wouldn't become like that, addicted to them, but Freddy had her doubts. None of the kids started off being addicted to them, it just happened.

Freddy sighed and wrapped the blanket around herself, trying to block out the darkness. She wasn't afraid of the darkness, more so, she was afraid of what could be out there in it. After all, _he'd_ come out of the dark and killed them. What if he was still out there, waiting for his chance to finish the job? Freddy shivered and pulled the blanket over her head, wishing that it was a tent. She'd always felt safer with a blanket completely surrounding her.

The sound of footsteps outside her door caught Freddy's attention. She froze, listening, trying to catch the sound. The footsteps stopped and Freddy was sure that she heard heavy breathing right outside her door. Paralyzed with fear, Freddy held her breath, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't hear her.

**Then, just as quickly as she heard it, the noise disappeared, and along with it went Freddy's fear. Feeling suffocated all of a sudden, she threw the blanket to the end of her bed and got up. She walked over to the window and opened it, relishing the cold air that greeted her.** The air was cold but she didn't mind, it reminded her of home. Or at least the home she'd had a long time ago, in Winnipeg. It had always been cold there, at least that she could remember. Jasper had told her that it wasn't cold during the summer, but in every memory she had it was cold. White too, all of the fields, the roads and usually the cars too. Covered in snow she guessed. Snow, that made her want to make a snowman, she hadn't made one in years. Maybe this winter she would.

Sighing, Freddy turned her thoughts to this new family she was with. Tobias had said that it was her family now too, but she didn't believe him. Jasper was her family; he'd been through a lot with her, not everything, but a lot. These people hadn't been through anything with her, so they could hardly be her family. They'd only known her for one day, not even.

Evelyn seemed all right, Freddy just wasn't sure why she took them in. After all, she already had three sons, so why would she want to take in two more fuck-ups? And why them? Tobias had mentioned that Evelyn chose them, but why? What was so special about them? Maybe she liked Jasper's name, a lot of people liked his name. Freddy didn't like it that much, it was too old-fashioned for her. Maybe something like Matt, or Jazz, that would work.

Shaking her head, Freddy tried to concentrate. Jerry seemed all right, but she hadn't really seen enough of him to really see how she felt about him. Then there was Angel. Personally, Freddy thought he was funny, but seeing as Jasper seemed to hate him so much, she figured she'd keep her opinion to herself. She didn't mind that he laughed at her name; Freddy was a weird name for a girl. At least it was better than Camela. Camela made her think of camels, and camels were just too weird.

And then there was Jack. He seemed nice enough, maybe a little bit weird, but nice. She didn't really think about him all that much. It'd been convenient that he'd gone for a walk earlier, she loved going for walks, but Jasper hated them. Freddy knew that Jasper was mad at her for going with Jack, but she just wanted to get out for a while. Away from Jasper too, he was suffocating her, but there was no way to tell her that.

She hated how embarrassed he got as soon as she started to act "weird." Her whistling never bothered him unless they were in front of people, minus Tobias. She'd just been trying to make a joke earlier; she could tell that Jack, Jerry and Angel thought she was crazy, so she'd whistled Basket Case. Any other time Jasper would've laughed, but of course not today, not in front of people. Instead, he'd pushed her away and been embarrassed by her.

Freddy was pretty sure that she was angry now. She didn't like being angry, people did things they regretted when they were angry. Or at least, things they pretended to regret. She couldn't read minds, but she was pretty sure that if they regretted doing something, then they wouldn't do it again. But they did, they always did. Their apologies were useless too; it didn't make the pain go away. They seemed to expect the apologies to make things better though, Freddy didn't get it. Whenever she said sorry, everything wasn't just better. She was either lying, or just trying to get out of trouble, or whatever else the people could come up with.

Sighing, Freddy got back into bed. She felt tired now. Or at least she thought she was tired. She really wished Jasper was here, he would know.

Whistling a song to herself Freddy slowly began to slip away into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note: Okay I lied, I didn't do a quick update, I was trying to rewrite this chapter, but then I gave up so now half of it is rewritten and half of it isn't. And I don't know how accurate I'm describing Freddy's "condition" I don't know all that much about it to be honest, it's hard to find information that I can understand.**


	5. Chapter 5

Here's Your Letter

Chapter Five

"Oh good, you're up, I was just going to send Jack down to get you!" Evelyn said cheerfully as Jasper came into the kitchen early the next morning. He didn't say anything, just glared at her as he sat down at the table. Jack looked up from his bowl of cereal, frowning. He didn't like how rude this kid was being. It was fine for him to act however he wanted towards Jack or Jerry or Angel, but he didn't have any right to be rude towards Evelyn.

"Where's Freddy?" Jasper asked, looking around. Evelyn paused as she lifted her cup of tea up to her lips. Finally, she lowered it, looking straight into Jasper's angry brown eyes.

"I think she went outside." She said. Jasper's eyes got wide with fear and he jumped up and ran to the front door. Swinging it open, he was relieved to find Freddy sitting on the front step, studying a long blade of grass. She didn't react as Jasper sat next to her.

"What do you think you're doing Freddy?" Jasper demanded. Freddy ignored him, carefully running her finger over the blade of grass. It amazed her how it could be so soft and yet so sharp at the same time.

"You can't just go outside by yourself, what if something happened? You could be taken and no one would know for a while! What are you thinking?" Jasper cried. Freddy tried to ignore the desperate tone to his voice. Closing her eyes, Freddy wished that Jasper would just go away. He didn't need to be protective of her, he hadn't seen half of the things that she had. If anyone was to protect someone, it should be _her _protecting _him_.

"Come on Freddy, what do you have to say for yourself, you know better than to go outside alone!" Jasper said, his voice growing angry. Freddy tried to block him out, he didn't have to treat her like a child, she was eleven after all! And besides, he was only one year older than her!

"Freddy, don't you ignore me!" Jasper said. Taking a deep breath, Freddy started whistling. The tune sounded something like the song that never ends. Frustrated, Jasper stood up and walked back in the house. If she was going to act like that then fine, he'd let her be like that. Next time she wanted to talk, he'd say no. That would teach her.

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"I can not figure out why you decided to take those two in Mom." Jack said as he heard Jasper stomp down the stairs to his room. Evelyn sighed and lowered the morning paper.

"Jack…" She started but Jack interrupted her. He knew it was rude, but he wanted to get his point across before she made him feel guilty. She didn't mean to, but she always did.

"I understand about being angry and scared, but that kid is just beyond angry, he's just looking for a fight. And that girl is just weird!" He said. Evelyn couldn't help it, she laughed at her son's expression.

"Jack, you were in the system for a year or so before coming to me, these two have been in it for four years. They've been bounced from foster home to foster home, occasionally staying at a group home. They've had some pretty bad things happen to them, just like you did, Bobby did, Angel did and Jerry did. I know you're trying to understand them honey, and I appreciate that." Evelyn said. Jack nodded and sighed.

"It would just be easier if I knew what happened to them!" He said. He knew that he had absolutely no right in knowing anything of their past, he was only fourteen after all. But Evelyn was hoping that he'd bond with them, since he was the closest to their age. But it was hard when he didn't know what was going on inside their heads.

"I know honey, and I will tell you, just right now isn't the time to have this conversation." Evelyn said, glancing towards the door. Jack knew what she meant, Freddy or Jasper could easily walk in on them, and that would just cause a lot of problems.

"Now, what are you planning to do today?" Evelyn asked. Jack thought for a moment and then shrugged. He hadn't really planned much beyond finishing his bowl of cereal.

"Well if you don't mind, then I'd like you, Jerry and Angel to take Jasper and Freddy over to the school. They've been at a group home for the past few weeks, so they haven't really been outside." Evelyn said. Jack thought for a moment. He didn't really want to spend more time with the new kids but he knew that it would make Evelyn happy.

"Sure, are Jerry and Angel okay with that?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders slightly. Evelyn smiled at him and took a sip of her tea.

"Why don't you go ask them?" She asked. Jack took the hint to go wake up his brothers and quickly wolfed down the rest of his breakfast. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad, and even if it was, there was sure to be some guys playing basketball at the courts. If Jasper and Freddy got too annoying, Jack, Jerry and Angel could always just go join in on the game.

Putting his bowl in the sink, Jack quickly rinsed it out. Then he jogged up the stairs; he'd wake up Jerry first, he was always easier to wake up. He'd let Angel sleep in for a few more minutes.

"Come on Jer, Ma wants us to take the new kids over to the school for a while." Jack said, tugging the blanket gently. The bump underneath the covers that he took as Jerry moaned but showed no other signs of life.

"Jerry, you gotta get up now man." Jack said a little louder, yanking the blanket away from Jerry. Groaning as the cold morning air hit him, Jerry grabbed his pillow and put it over is head. Jack shook his head and looked around for something that would help him wake up Jerry. Finally, he noticed the glass of water sitting on Jerry's night table. Grinning, Jack grabbed it and held it over Jerry's bare back. Slowly, he little a few drops trickle onto Jerry's back. When that did nothing, Jack dumped the rest of it on Jerry's head. Swearing loudly, Jerry jumped to his feet.

"What the fuck Jack? What the hell are you doing?" He cried angrily. Laughing loudly, Jack sprinted towards the door as Jerry lunged towards him.

"I told you to get up Jer!" Jack said with a smile. Leaving Jerry still cursing loudly, Jack knocked on the door to Angel's room. When he didn't get an answer, Jack slowly opened the door. Like Jerry, Angel was only a lump underneath the blankets.

"Angel, you gotta get up now!" Jack said coming into the room. There was no noise or movement from under the blanket so, like in Jerry's room, Jack pulled the blanket off and tossed it onto the floor.

"Come on Angel, Ma wants us to, holy shit!" Jack cried, looking up from the blanket to the bed. Angel was there but he wasn't alone. The girl from down the street, Sofie or something like that, Jack wasn't sure. He wasn't too concerned about her name right now either; both she and Angel were practically naked.

"Leave a tie on the doorknob next time!" Jack yelled as he left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Irritated, he turned around and immediately jumped backwards into Angel's door. Freddy had been standing just behind him, staring up at him.

"What the hell Freddy, what are you doing?" Jack cried angrily. Freddy just stared at him with wide eyes. Feeling slightly unnerved Jack tried to calm himself. Between walking in on Angel and Sofie and then Freddy sneaking up on him, Jack was ready to fight the next person that talked to him.

"I guess it is a good thing that you don't talk." Jack muttered under his breath. He hadn't meant for Freddy to hear him but she did. Her eyes got even wider and a hurt look crossed her face. She looked away from him but immediately started whistling. Jack recognized it as Greenday's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). Still looking hurt, Freddy shot Jack a pointed look before going into her room and closing the door. Jack just stared after her, feeling as though she'd just tried to tell him something.

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"Freddy I'm sorry, come on, we're all going to go down to the school, don't you want to come?" Jack said ten minutes later, knocking on Freddy's bedroom door. Everyone was ready to go, Evelyn had gone to work and Sofie had left shortly after that. Jack knew that he should tell Evelyn that Sofie had stayed the night but he wouldn't, Angel would beat the crap out of him if he did. Evelyn wouldn't do anything about it; she'd just talk to Angel about respecting everyone else and not having Sofie stay for the night. Jack would love that, this wasn't the first time he'd walked in Angel's room and Sofie had been over.

Jerry had taken his shower and even Jasper had agreed to go. Now they were just trying to get Freddy to come out of her room. Correction, Jack, Jerry and Angel were trying to get Freddy to come out, Jasper was leaning against the wall, with that fake smile plastered on his face.

"What did you say to her you asshole?" Angel grumbled, banging on the door. Jack looked at the ground as he answered.

"I said it's a good thing she doesn't talk." He muttered. In one swift movement Angel reached out and backhanded Jack. Jack just stared at him for a few seconds, too surprised to react. It hadn't hurt as much as it surprised him; Angel hadn't hit him in a long time, not like that. Angry, Jack raised his hand to punch his brother, but Jerry grabbed his arm before he could.

"No way little brother, you deserved that! Why would you say that?" Jerry asked, his tone stern. Jack stared at him for a second and then turned to stare at Freddy's door. Jerry was right, he did deserve it.

"Why if Bobby was here he would kick your ass right now!" Jerry added, glaring at Jack. Jack didn't know what to say, except that he was glad that Bobby wasn't at home. And if someone told Evelyn, that would be worse than getting beat up. Jack couldn't stand to have her disappointed in him.

"Okay this is cool and all and this Bobby guy sounds awesome, but why don't you work on getting her to leave her room?" Jasper said rudely, motioning towards Freddy's door. Jack, Jerry and Angel all turned to glare at him.

"This would be a little bit easier if you would help!" Angel said, glaring at Jasper. Jasper laughed and Jack flinched. It wasn't a real, happy laugh, it sounded like nails being dragged down a chalkboard.

"No way, you got yourselves into this, so you guys have to get her out of there. And good luck, she doesn't exactly, cooperate when she's like this." Jasper said, inspecting his nails. Jerry felt like punching him but he restrained himself. That would just make things worse.

"Come on Freddy, we have to go!" Jack said, banging on her door. He was getting sick of this, now he wished that Bobby was here. Bobby was always able to get kids to do what he wanted.

"Lets go-" Jerry started but stopped once Freddy opened her door. She stared at them as if she'd never seen them before. Then she shook her head and her face was blank, emotionless.

"Finally, come on, we're going to go over to the school." Angel said. Freddy nodded and waited for the brothers to lead the way. Shaking his head, Jerry walked down the stairs. Jack followed him, and behind Jack came Jasper and Freddy. Angel, who was behind them, saw the suspicious look Jasper gave Freddy.

**Author's Note: Thanks again to all my reviewers. Think you can wait a few more chapters to find out what it is? If not, I guess I'll private message you or something, but it's coming up pretty soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

Here's Your Letter

Chapter Six

The school wasn't very far from their house and for the first time ever Jack was thankful for it. Anytime he, Jerry or Angel said something, Jasper mimicked them in a high pitched, whiney voice. Freddy was humming softly to herself, off in her own little world. A few people they passed gave them strange looks, and Jack found himself staring at the ground, wishing he were anywhere but with Jasper and Freddy. He'd rather have to go clean his closet than hang out at the school with them.

Jerry and Angel had stopped talking, using all of their self-control to restrain themselves from turning around and punching Jasper. Jasper seemed to be enjoying himself, and had that fake smile plastered over his face. Jerry felt like jumping for joy when the schoolyard came into view.

"Do you guys mind if we go play basketball? I mean, you can join in if you want." Jerry said uncertainly, watching Jasper carefully. The boy had his head tilted upwards slightly, his eyes narrowed. He seemed to be thinking, but Jerry could tell if it was about basketball or something else. Finally, Jasper nodded, his face looking more relaxed.

"I'll play, but Freddy can't." Jasper said, staring at Jerry intently. Jerry glanced at Freddy, who was staring up at the clouds, and intrigued expression on her face. It didn't look like she'd even want to play basketball.

"Okay, she can go sit over there." Jerry said, pointing at a row of old benches. Jasper led Freddy over to them, ignoring how she struggled to get away from him. Jack, Jerry and Angel all turned away. They knew that there was no other way to get Freddy over to the benches but still, they hated watching her struggle.

To Jack's surprise, Jasper was actually really good at basketball. At first all of the guys laughed at him, but their smiles quickly disappeared as Jasper got the ball in the basket in the first two minutes of the game. Jerry was glad that the kid was on his team.

They lost track of time as they played, becoming focused only on the ball. Only when there was a loud, piercing shriek did they stop the game to look towards the benches where Freddy was sitting. Only, Freddy wasn't alone anymore, there were three young kids with her, two girls and one boy. All three of them looked related; they all had the same dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

It only took Jasper a few seconds to drop the basketball and be standing beside Freddy, glaring at the three younger kids. Jack, Jerry and Angel were right behind him, also glaring at the three kids. Freddy looked confused, her green eyes opened wide. She looked at Jasper, as if waiting for him to explain what was going on.

"What the hell are you screaming for?" Jasper asked viciously. Two of the kids, one of the girls and the boy, shrank back in fear, but the other one, the oldest probably, stood up tall, glaring at Jasper.

"That kid is a freak!" She said, her voice shrill and whiney. Both Jack and Angel winced at the sound of it. Jerry nearly did, but he caught himself.

"And why do you say that?" Jasper asked, leaning towards the girl menacingly. The girl took a step back, looking intimidated.

"Come on, if you're going to call her a freak you must have a reason for it!" Jasper said. Jerry felt a new respect for the kid; he obviously cared for his little sister. In fact, it looked like he was about to make the three kids cry.

"S-she just is. My mommy works with people like her!" The girl said, tears starting to run down her face. Jasper looked taken back but the anger quickly returned to his face.

"What the hell do you mean, people like her?" He asked, looking ready to strangle the girl. Jerry put his hand on Jasper's arm, getting ready to pull him back. The kids were all crying now, and even Freddy was watching with interest.

"S-she's so weird! She doesn't l-look at anyone, she whistles all the time, my mommy works with freaks like her!" The girl said, shrinking away from Jasper. Jasper started to say something but Jerry interrupted him.

"Yeah well we better be going, see ya." He said, pulling Jasper backwards. Jasper struggled a bit, but Jerry was much stronger than him. Angel and Jack followed, but Angel stopped when he noticed that Freddy hadn't moved.

"Come on Freddy, we're going now." Angel said, walking back over to her. Freddy didn't even glance his way. She was still sitting on the bench, her eyes now staring at the cracks in the cement.

"Let's go Freddy!" Angel said, sound exasperated. When Freddy didn't move Angel grabbed her arm and started to pull her upwards. He wasn't expecting Freddy's reaction. She freaked, pulling backwards, looking terrified. Slowly she began sliding down towards the cement and Angel let go of her arm, stepping back feeling very confused.

"Whoa just calm down, I wasn't going to hurt you!" He said, sounding insulted. Freddy looked away from him, tears streaming down her face. Jasper was kneeling beside her in a second, looking concerned. Jack and Jerry stood beside them, glaring at Angel.

"What the hell would you do that for man?" Jerry cried angrily. Angel glared at him, leaning back slightly with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Jack didn't say anything; he just watched Jasper and Freddy. Jasper was whispering something to Freddy that he couldn't hear. Amazingly, Freddy seemed to be listening, nodding her head every so often. Soon her tears stopped coming and Jasper helped her to her feet. Glaring at Angel, he led her past them and started walking home. Jack, Jerry and Angel followed close behind. None of them spoke, both Jack and Jerry were angry and Angel felt ashamed. He should have known better than to touch her.

Jasper and Freddy reached the house first, so Evelyn was already at the door by the time Jack, Jerry and Angel walked in. Angel quickly headed up the stairs, too ashamed to talk to Evelyn. Jerry followed him, leaving the explaining up to Jack.

Sighing Jack collapsed down onto the couch. Evelyn sat next to him, waiting for him to begin. Jasper and Freddy were no where in sight, so Jack figured that they must have either gone to down to Jasper's room or up to Freddy's room.

"We were playing basketball and everything was fine. Jasper was playing with us while Freddy was sitting on a bench. It was all good until some kid started screaming and going on about how much of a freak Freddy is. We decided to just leave before things got ugly, but Freddy wouldn't follow us. Angel grabbed her arm and she freaked and started crying." Jack said in one breath. Evelyn sighed but Jack could tell that she wasn't angry.

"Mom, what is wrong with her, why was that girl calling her a freak? She said that her mother works with people like Freddy, what is that supposed to mean? Is she sick or something?" Jack asked. Evelyn was silent for several seconds, thinking. Finally she spoke.

"She's not sick Jack, not really. She's autistic; it's more of a disorder than a sickness." She said. Jack stared at her, completely lost.

"Autistic, what's that mean?" He asked, trying to remember if he'd heard the word before. He was pretty sure that he hadn't.

"She has autism. It's hard to explain, but from what I understand about it, Freddy is basically off in her own world and she's happy there. She seems to wander between our world and her world at will. Now Freddy's autism is pretty mild, like you said, she really does pay attention to what goes on around her. Tobias and I have a theory that Freddy uses the autism as a shield. Now don't get me wrong, she really is autistic, but Jack, you must understand, she was hurt bad before, really bad. Tobias said that before her parents died, Freddy was basically just like everyone else, only occasionally slipping off into her world. Only after they died did she start to live in it more, especially if she was in a stressful situation." Evelyn explained. Jack just stared at her, at loss for words. He wasn't sure if he quite understood it all but it did sound a lot like Freddy.

"Tobias said that Freddy hasn't spoken since her parents died, not even to Jasper. She can speak but she chooses not to. A lot of people will judge her for it." Evelyn continued. Jack nodded his head in understanding; people judged him a lot and he was "normal."

Neither Jack nor Evelyn moved off the couch, both of them lost in their thoughts. Jack felt new compassion for Freddy now that he knew why she was how she was. Strangely enough, he felt more protective of her. Maybe it was because of her crying, she'd looked so small and helpless. Whatever the reason was, Jack got a feeling it was going to cause him a lot of headaches.

**Author's Note: There, you know what Freddy's disorder is now. And please remember, I don't know much about autism, just what I understood off of wikipedia, a few videos on youtube and a book I have. I hope you guys like this chapter. **


	7. Chapter 7

Here's Your Letter

Chapter Seven

Jasper lay in his bed that night, his hands behind his head. He was replaying the conversation with the little girl over and over in his head. He'd wanted to slap her and was glad that Jerry had held him back. If not, Evelyn probably would have had to have called Tobias to come pick him up, and just when things seemed to be looking up too. Jasper was just deciding that Jerry, Jack and Angel weren't that bad when that stupid girl had screamed and ruined everything.

Sighing, Jasper rolled over onto his side. If only Freddy would act normal, then everything would be fine. He wouldn't have to protect her so much, and people wouldn't hate her. Sure, Jasper loved her and everything, but he couldn't help but wish that she was normal.

Japer got to his feet, there was no point in lying in bed for hours trying to sleep when he had the pills. He'd be asleep in no time and have a dreamless slumber, the kind he liked the best. Holding two pills in his hand, Jasper decided to take two more, to make sure he fell asleep right away.

Twenty-minutes later Jasper got out of bed again. The pills weren't working, he felt more awake than ever. This irritated him, he should be asleep by now, totally oblivious to the world. Taking two more pills in his hand, Jasper quickly swallowed them, deciding to take two more to make sure that this time, he really did fall asleep. Feeling satisfied, he crawled back into bed.

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Jack awoke the next morning to someone shaking him. He sat upright, ready to punch the person until he saw that it was Freddy. She looked scared, and for a second Jack wondered if he was just dreaming. Why would she come to him, she and Jasper were practically glued together!

"Fr-Freddy? What is it?" Jack asked, yawning. Freddy already had her notepad out and was scribbling something down. She looked so scared and worried Jack began to feel nervous, had something happened? He didn't have to wait long to find out as Freddy thrust her notepad towards him. _There's something wrong with Jasper!_ It said. Jack jumped to his feet, causing Freddy to stumble backwards.

"What's wrong with him Freddy?" Jack asked, starting towards his doors. It only took Freddy three seconds to scribble something else down on her notepad. _I don't know, there's just something wrong! _Irritated, Jack gave the notepad back to Freddy and went into Evelyn's room. She was still asleep and surprised, he glanced at the clock. It was five-thirty in the morning, what the hell was Freddy doing up this early?

"Hey Ma, Freddy says there's something wrong with Jasper." Jack said loudly from the doorway. Jack didn't know how she did it, but in seconds Evelyn was out of bed and standing beside him.

"Let's go." Evelyn said. She led the way downstairs as Jack and Freddy followed. Once she reached the basement stairs, Evelyn slowed down, nearly causing Jack and Freddy to walk into her. She knocked softly on the walls, to let Jasper know that she was coming down.

"Jasper, honey, are you all right?" She called. She got no response so she picked up the pace as she led them down the stairs. She motioned for Jack to stop. Jack nodded and held out his arm, blocking the way downstairs so Freddy had to stop too. Within seconds Evelyn disappeared from view into Jasper's room. Jack heard her say something and then there was a loud moan. Freddy's face went white and it looked like she was debating whether or not she should try to get past Jack.

"Oh my, Jack, go call an ambulance, hurry! Jasper, I think, well I think he's overdosed on something!" Evelyn cried. Jack ran up the stairs past Freddy and grabbed the phone. He dialed quickly, his hands shaking. As he was talking to the lady who answered the phone, Jerry and Angel came downstairs. They listened in on Jack's side of the conversations and then quickly ran downstairs once they realized what had happened. As soon as he hung up the phone Jack joined them.

He'd only reached the bottom of the stairs when Jerry yelled at him to stop. Jack halted, unsure of what to do. Angel was standing near Freddy, trying to keep her from going into Jasper's room.

"You don't need to see this dude, just stay out of here!" Jerry yelled. Jack nodded numbly, terrified. He didn't know what to do, nothing like this had ever happened to him before.

It didn't take long for the ambulance to show up. Angel and Jack kept Freddy out of the way while Evelyn and Jerry helped the ambulance people load Jasper up. Freddy looked close to tears and Jack had to fight the urge to hug her.

"I'm going to the hospital with him, but Freddy, I need to know, do you know what Jasper overdosed on?" Evelyn asked. Slowly Freddy nodded. She slowly walked over to her brother's backpack and took out the bottle of sleeping pills. Evelyn nodded and took the bottle from her.

"I have just one more question Freddy, please answer it, this is really important if Jasper is going to get better, does he take sleeping pills a lot?" Evelyn asked. Freddy hesitated, looking from her brother on the stretcher to Evelyn. Finally, she nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"No…Freddy…this…is…your…fault!" Jasper gasped as he was carried up the stairs. Freddy's face went white as she stared at her brother. Angel felt like hitting the boy, even though he was close to death. Jasper being an idiot and overdosing was not Freddy's fault. Angel felt like saying that but he kept silent. He knew it wouldn't do anything.

Evelyn got into the ambulance with Jasper, leaving Jerry in charge. Freddy disappeared up into her room, refusing to come out. Jerry, Angel and Jack all sat on the couch, staring at the blank TV.

"Why would he do it? Did he really find it that bad here?" Angel asked finally. Jack shrugged as Jerry shook his head.

"I think he did it by accident, I don't think he was trying to kill himself." Jerry said. Silence fell over them again as they all got lost in thought.

"Wait, does this mean Ma won't be able to keep them?" Jack asked suddenly. His older brothers shrugged.

"I don't know, I hope she can keep them, if they go somewhere else…" Jerry said, letting his voice trail off. Angel and Jack knew what he meant though; if they went somewhere else they'd get treated bad, and probably be abused again. If they couldn't stay with Evelyn, they probably wouldn't live much longer.

**Author's Note: Sorry it's so rushed, I wanted to get it up and I was being rushed. I hope you guys like it, I promise I'll make the chapters longer!**


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